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Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an infection of the tonsils at the back of your throat. It is a common childhood illness, but teenagers and adults can get it too.
Check if you have tonsillitis
Tonsillitis can feel like a bad cold or flu. The tonsils at the back of your throat will be red and swollen.
The main symptoms in children and adults are:
a sore throat
problems swallowing
a high temperature of 38C or above
coughing
a headache
feeling sick
earache
feeling tired
Sometimes the symptoms can be more severe and include:
swollen, painful glands in your neck (feels like a lump on the side of your neck)
white pus-filled spots on your tonsils
bad breath
What tonsils with pus-filled spots can look like
If you're not sure it's tonsillitis
Look at other sore throat symptoms.
How long tonsillitis lasts
Symptoms will usually go away after 3 to 4 days.
Tonsillitis is not contagious, but most of the infections that cause it are, for example, colds and flu.
To stop these infections spreading:
stay off work or keep your child at home until you or your child feel better
use tissues when you cough or sneeze and throw them away
wash your hands after coughing or sneezing
How to treat tonsillitis yourself
Tonsillitis usually gets better on its own after a few days.
To help treat the symptoms:
get plenty of rest
drink cool drinks to soothe the throat
take paracetamol or ibuprofen (do not give aspirin to children under 16)
gargle with warm salty water (children should not try this)
How to gargle with salty water
A pharmacist can help with tonsillitis
Speak to a pharmacist about tonsillitis.
They can give advice and suggest treatments, like:
lozenges
throat sprays
antiseptic solutions
Find a pharmacy
Non-urgent advice:
See a GP if:
you have white pus-filled spots on your tonsils
the sore throat is so painful it's difficult to eat or drink
the symptoms do not go away within 4 days
Information:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: how to contact a GP
It's still important to get help from a GP if you need it. To contact your GP surgery:
visit their website
use the NHS App
call them
Find out about using the NHS during COVID-19
What happens at your GP appointment
A doctor can usually tell it's tonsillitis by asking about your symptoms and looking at the back of your throat.
You may also need:
a swab test to see if bacteria are causing your tonsillitis (a cotton bud is used to wipe the back of your throat)
a blood test for glandular fever if symptoms are severe or will not go away
You should get any test results back within 2 or 3 days.
Treatment from a GP
Treatment will depend on what caused your tonsillitis:
most children and adults get viral tonsillitis (caused by a virus), which clears up on its own
for bacterial tonsillitis (caused by bacteria), a GP may prescribe antibiotics
A GP will usually wait for the test results to tell which type you have.
Surgery to remove your tonsils
It's very rare that someone needs to have their tonsils taken out.
This is usually only the case if you have severe tonsillitis that keeps coming back.
Causes of tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is usually caused by a virus, such as a cold, but it can also be due to a bacterial infection such as strep throat.
Complications with tonsillitis (quinsy)
Complications with tonsillitis are very rare.
Sometimes you can get a pocket filled with pus (abscess) between your tonsils and the wall of your throat. This is called quinsy.
Immediate action required:
Call 999 or go to A&E if you have:
a severe sore throat that quickly gets worse
swelling inside the mouth and throat
difficulty speaking
difficulty swallowing
difficulty breathing
difficulty opening your mouth
These are signs of quinsy.
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Page last reviewed: 10 February 2021
Next review due: 10 February 2024
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